So, the government is set to shut down on friday...or so it is said. In truth, nothing of the sort will happen; many have made the point that through some accounting tricks, the checks can be kept from bouncing till sometime this fall. The government is not losing its income overnight just because congress has abdicated responsibility regarding the budget (and the wars, and the out of control breauracracies, etc, etc...) And, they can also just keep printing (for another year or so, anyways) to cover obligations until enough nations refuse to accept dollars for exports.
Earlier I offered three possible outcomes of the impending crisis. Whether a "shutdown" occurs this friday could be the deciding factor. If we do not shutdown, and kick the can, we are restricted to two less violent alternatives, which, I suppose is good. The most likely at this point is hyperinflation. Thanks to the nice trap our debt has us in, we can't raise interest rates to the point it will ever put a dent in inflation ever again. That makes an Obama re-election less likely, and a Ron-Paul election more and more likely. Which short-term sounds pretty good to me, but the high likelyhood Ron has the reign of Pertinax when the military-industrial complex realizes he is shutting them down still makes this outcome uncertain. If Obama makes it, we are pretty much guaranteed to get hyperinflation, as He'll just stay the course of the decider.
However, if we do get the shutdown, this is the president's chance to cross the rubicon. I do not doubt that he could get away with siezing the power of the purse from the house, which would make his tyranny complete. I pray that if he "doesn't let this crisis go to waste", he will be a caesar augustus rather than a Joe Stalin...but I don't have high hopes in that regard. Hopefully this isn't the reason he announced his re-election bid this week.
Personally, I think we're gonna get a shutdown, to the surprise of everyone. Maybe it's because I'm relentlessly contrarian, or maybe it's because I see that it could benefit both parties. The dems get to rail against the evil republicans for starving widows and orphans, and the Republicans get to be percieved as attacking "big government" while doing nothing of the sort. In bizarre fashion, this can be seen as pandering to the electorate; especially when they realize that whichever side "wins" the debate gets to offer the solution to the crisis they created themselves. Also, the shutdown will likely kill any chances the tea party and Ron Paul have at changing things, which is probably the biggest reason the parties have to make the shutdown happen. They will most certainly be scape-goated for any shutdown.
Whoever "wins" the debate on how to solve the shutdown (if it happens), I think, determines whether the president will carpe diem. If the dems win, they want it to be seen as the president's solution winning; they'll soon regret their enthusiasm when they realize they have been neutered. One of those "don't dig a ditch for your neighbor to fall into, for you surely will fall in yourself" moments. If the repubs win, the president will officially be the enemy. Good luck becoming dictator then. Of course, they'll try to set up Newt to do the same in 2012, but that's looking a bit too far ahead.
If given the opportunity, the president actually doesn't sieze the power of the purse, I would be supremely perplexed. He has shown himself a capable liar and doesn't seem to care about those killed by his military; all the markings of a capable sociopath. I might be forced to conclude he's a moron too, if I don't see some obviously extenuating circumstances. Like marionette strings.
I don't see at the moment why the monied interests behind him wouldn't be for him siezing power. It would take them putting aside short term greed for some longer term goal...which might make sense if his backers truly are part of a global illuminist conspiracy for one world government. But not if his backers are just a bunch of greedy companies trying to loot the empire, which I think is quite a bit closer to the truth...even if they say they're one-worlders.
